Among Demons
by wyverndragon
Summary: An English girl in finishing school, trying to escape a future of ladyship. A young demon hunter, running from his past. A giant demon dog with red eyes, the messenger of Asmodeus. An impending apocalypse, an unlikely friendship. Enjoy the madness. LC & KT
1. Prologue

**AN: Ahem... why hello there. Remember me? Yeah, I'm not dead, really. Have been for a while though. Hectic summers, blech :P**

**Anywho, I should be back on track, I got a couple chapters of this (Among Demons) ready to go, and the next Stowaway update should be within a week or so (don't quote me on that), I dunno how long Kurtio-Lariette'll take, 'cause Kurtis isn't cooperating XP**

**So this is my latest concoction, featuring a young Lara and Kurtis, and general demon-esque epicness. I'm gonna try to be serious-ish with this one, lets see how it goes. Enjoy. (Kurtis is in bold, Lara isn't. Hope that helps.)  
**

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**Prologue**  
Desperate to Escape

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My eyes opened, my mind still stuck in a dream. I frowned as I stared up at the dormitory ceiling. It was only a dream, and I was still here. Curses.

**I shot up from unconsciousness, and pain sliced through my back. Cursing fluently, I realized I was in Medical. ****_Again._**

Sighing, I got up out of bed, determined to ignore the happenings of the dream. It was such a good dream though; I was Lara Croft, archeologist-adventurer extraordinaire, exploring a lost tomb. I shook my head to clear my thoughts as I showered and dressed. Every day in the finishing school was the same. Smile, dance, smile, sew, smile, giggle, blush on command, smile, drink tea, smile – even though you feel like stabbing the girl next to you through the eyes with her teaspoon. It was easy, but it bored me out of my skull. I half-heartedly pulled a brush through my hair, and headed downstairs for breakfast, the dream still buzzing in my head.

**My head spun, and the events of the previous day – or whenever it was – came back to me. A big demon, a fight, getting slammed into walls, the whole shebang. To be frank, I'm not even sure if I can count on ****_five_**** hands the number of times this has happened. And every time my head hurts like hell afterwards. **

I'm sick of this. I need something new.

**I've had enough of being attacked by demons. Maybe I should quit the legion, go somewhere else. Somewhere they can't find me.**

_I need to escape._

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**And that's the Prologue! Next Chapter should be up tomorrow-ish. Reviews, hugs and cookies appreciated!  
**


	2. Dreams and Warnings

**AN: A bit later than expected, had no internet yesterday :P Anywho, next chappie!**

**Jessica: It's not the cookies, 'tis the balcony scene! *bashes head on desk* That scene is the bane of my existance! But... cookies are good too, we'd both appreciate them :D**

**Josh14: Yeaaah, it has been a while hasn't it... oops? Well, here's more, hope you enjoy :)**

**Feri: Your wish has been granted! Huzzah!**

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**Chapter One**  
Dreams and Warnings

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_I was running, screaming. Black boots slapped sharply against wet pavement. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a huge black dog, with red eyes that glowed. It was getting closer with each bound, snarling at me. I screamed again, trying to run faster, but it was like running through cement. My legs felt like jelly, and my lungs burned. "Help! Somebody help!" Nobody was there, the darkness was pressing in on me, choking me, as I stumbled forward, and the hound was leaping, about to catch me..._

I hit the floor with a dull thud, and groaned. When I opened my eyes, all I was met with was the dormitory ceiling. For once, I was glad it was only a dream. A harsh voice interrupted my thoughts as I lay there, convincing myself to breath.

"Aww, poor Croftie got _nightmares_?"

I quickly scrambled up from the floor, giving one of my _lovely_ dorm-mates a sharp glare, and stalked over to the bathroom. Once there, I looked in the mirror and sighed. There would always be a part of me that wished those dreams were real, no matter how horrible they were. At least dream me had something to do other than smile and keep my homicidal thoughts to myself.

"Hey Croft! Don't be crying in there, we need to get ready soon!" Rolling my eyes at the insult, I grabbed my brush and left, pushing thoughts of dreams and demonic hounds out of my mind for the day.

**Don't ask me how I ended up outside a dingy little church in the slums of Paris, but I did. The past few days were a blur. Getting discharged from the legion – due to, and I quote, "frequent unnatural occurrences" – starting my life over again with only an old prototype gun, a motorcycle, and a duffel bag with all necessary items; not to mention dealing with far too many demons for my liking. I suppose it was the demons that led me to this church; I was at my wit's end, and it seemed the most likely place for me to get help, preferably without monetary compensation.**

**I walked inside the silent building – despite the questionable neighborhood surrounding it, the inside of the church was remarkably clean. "Hello?" My voice was fairly quiet, but it carried well in the emptiness of the hall. A muffled voice came from near my right, I followed it, opening a door and finding myself in an office.**

**An elderly man was sitting at a desk covered in papers, a priest, by the look of him. "Que peux-moi fais pour vous, cher garçon?" he asked. In shaky French, I explained to him my predicament: that I was being chased by demons and I wanted them to ****_go away_****. He seemed to understand well enough, and told me to speak some other priest in England, and to beware the demon hound with eyes of red; although I may have misunderstood the last part, I don't know. I left a bit more confused than when I entered, but at least I had a goal. Find the man the priest spoke of, and get information, hopefully in English. I swung a leg over my motorcycle and sped off into the night. **

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**AN: Yup, that be it for now. Reviews, hugs and cookies are all appreciated... now back to that stupid balcony scene xP**

**Translation: Que peux-moi fais pour vous, cher garçon? - "What can I do for you, dear boy?"**


	3. First Encounters

**AN: Hai! Here's another update, took a bit longer than expected, but oh well :)  
Enjoy, or I'll feed you to the demon doggie! Muahahahaha! XD  
**

**Greenkey - You shall not be left hanging! I'm glad you thought it was successful with the two viewpoint thing, I was mostly trying something new, and it worked, I suppose  
**

**Feri - Your wish was so awesome, I granted it again, because I'm cool like that. As for the guess... really? REALLY? What is it with you people and reading my mind! Hehe, hope you enjoy :)  
**

**Josh14 - Thank you! Hmm, "personal mission" does suit Kurtis pretty well, doesn't it... XD  
**

**Jessica - Um... I can see the destined part, maybe, but I dunno 'bout the dreams... to each their own, I guess.  
It was a bit difficult to get them IC in parts, but it seems my hard work paid off! Thank you!  
**

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**Chapter Two  
**First Encounters

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The old church had always been somewhat of a refuge for me. I often sneaked out of finishing school and trekked the half mile path to the place, to stay for an hour or two. Father Patrick, the church's priest, had become a close confidant of mine. Often times, it seemed like he was the only person I could trust; aside from Winston, but I rarely saw him anymore.

I sat on the steps, thinking. The dream of the hound had come back many times over the past few weeks. Some things were different, sometimes the ground was muddy, others I was running on asphalt, but the huge dog was always there, chasing me, with glowing red eyes. I shuddered involuntarily at the thought of the beast that plagued my dreams.

**I parked my bike and began to climb the trail that went to a church, according to the greasy barman I had spoken to earlier. Granted, he probably wasn't the most reliable source of information, but I didn't have many options. According to those I had asked, this was the place to find one Patrick Dunstan, priest and local demon expert.**

**When I had nearly reached the little building on the hill – the church, I suppose – the sky decided to open up and drench everything in existence. Stupid British weather. I quickened my pace, reaching the doors without getting terribly soaked, opened them, and slipped inside.**

I stiffened when I heard the door squeak quietly behind me, but whoever had entered the church didn't speak, or ask me what I was doing there. In fact, they were silent, aside from the quiet tap of shoes on the stone floor. The sound of rain poured down on the roof made me grimace; I was probably going to wreck another pair of shoes going back. Not that I cared, aside from the gross feeling of mud on stockings, but the head ladies at the school wouldn't be too pleased with me either.

**I'm not sure if I expected the chapel to be empty, but I certainly didn't expect to see a girl huddled on the steps. I considered asking her if she knew where the priest was, but a growl behind me made me freeze and turn toward the sound, my hand on my gun. The doors had opened wide, and standing inside was a huge black dog, with glowing red eyes. I recognized it as a demon immediately, and realized that I hadn't mistranslated what the French man told me. What he failed to mention, though, was that this demon dog was as big as a bear.**

I looked up towards the doors, startled by the noise, but froze in shock when I saw what was there. Standing in front of a young man, not much older than I, was the hound from my dreams. It snarled, and he took a step back, cautious. I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, not quite terror, but something like it.

My body seemed to act of its own accord, and I threw whatever was in my hand – a rosary, I think – straight at the beast. It hit the hound right on the nose, and it snarled, backing away. I started to run away, but when I looked back, the man hadn't moved.

**Everything seemed to freeze. The dog recovered from the attack, which appeared to only startle it. If its eyes weren't promising murder earlier, they certainly were then, and the demon lunged for me. I tried to pull out my Boran, but my reaction was slow, my brain a bit foggy. The only thought that whirled through my shock was ****_What the _****hell****_ just happened?_**

**A hand grabbed my wrist, yanking me out of the way before the hound could tear me to shreds. This jolted me out of my stupor, and I started to fire at the monster as the hand pulled me through the church.**

Loud sounds emanated from behind me, gunshots. The stranger had a gun, and for some reason I didn't find this terribly worrisome. Considering our situation, it was almost comforting that he had a weapon; I doubted smacking the hound on the head with a Bible would do anything helpful, and that was the about the best _I _could do. However the screech of claws on stone took precedence, and I ran for Father Patrick's office, towing the stranger along behind me.

**I stumbled when we got to a set of stairs, but the hand gave me no pause, dragging me up the steps. I glanced forward to regain my footing, and found that my assistance came from the same girl who was sitting on the steps when I entered. We ran up the staircase, pursued by the demon, which, thankfully, had some issues navigating the narrow corridor.**

I think the hound was falling behind, but I made no move to slow anytime soon. My free hand was scraped by the stone walls, and my loose hair blew everywhere, sticking to my face and obscuring my vision. The dress I was wearing tangled around my legs, making running difficult, never mind the stairs.

My foot suddenly got caught in my skirts, sending me pitching forward, cursing silently. Because, of course, a _lady_ never uses foul language, although I think if there were ever to be a situation for it, this would be that situation. Have I ever mentioned how much I _loathe_ dresses?

The stranger grabbed my wrist and pulled me up before my face could have a lovely encounter with the stone stairs. I stumbled, and ended up quite a bit closer to him than I intended. His hand detached itself from my vice-like grip and moved to my shoulder to steady me.

"Sorry," I muttered under my breath. Unfortunately for both of us, a loud growl sounded from not far downstairs. My companion didn't respond, but spun me to face up the stairs and gave me a push before shooting at the monster once more.

I ran up the steps as fast as I could, tripping over my dress in a rather interesting, albeit unintentional, impression of a drunkard. My patience with the garment gone, I grabbed the hem and lifted it higher than propriety would dictate – why I'd need to keep my ankles covered, I would never know – and dashed up the stairs.

The hound seemed to be gaining on us, and behind me, the gunshots stopped; I hoped that my companion had stopped firing and followed me, rather than dying dramatically and leaving me here with the beast. When I neared the top, the door to Father Patrick's office was shut, and the howls of the hound behind us fed my growing panic.

If the door was locked, we would probably die before we got it open. With all the strength I could muster, I sprinted up the last few steps and at the door, turning my shoulder into it at the last second. The door crashed open, and I tumbled into an empty office.

Every shred of ladylike propriety gone, the words I was thinking flew out of my mouth before I could stop them, not that I terribly wanted to.

"Bloody hell."

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**Yup. Cliffie. Dunno when the next update'll be either. I'm evil like that aren't I.  
Reviews, hugs and cookies are all appreciated :)**


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